What is precision die cutting?

Precision die cutting is a process used by JBC Technologies to convert materials into custom shapes and sizes with high accuracy. This technique is ideal for creating high-volume parts with consistent quality and tight tolerances, and is used across various industries including automotive, medical, and electronics.

What materials can be processed with precision die cutting?

JBC Technologies can precision die cut a wide range of materials, including foams, rubbers, adhesives, and composite materials. Each material is chosen based on the specific requirements of the application, such as thermal management, insulation, or sealing.

What industries benefit from precision die cutting?

Industries that benefit from precision die cutting include automotive, aerospace, electronics, healthcare, and consumer goods. This process is pivotal in producing components like gaskets, seals, shields, and insulation pads that meet strict industry standards.

How does JBC Technologies ensure quality in die cutting?

JBC Technologies ensures quality in die cutting by using advanced manufacturing technologies and adhering to stringent quality control procedures. The process includes the use of high-precision machinery and thorough inspection routines to ensure that every part meets customer specifications and quality standards.

High-Volume Precision Die-Cutting for Maximum Material Yield, Lowered Total Cost of Purchase (TCP), and Assembly Efficiency

As a 3M™ Preferred North American flexible materials converter, JBC Technologies has years of diverse industry experience providing world-class precision die-cutting services. From ISO 13485 cleanroom rotary die-cutting & tight-tolerance precision to large, intricate, or challenging multi-layered parts, JBC has the capacity, process engineering acumen, and die-cutting equipment to handle any flexible materials challenge.

Our customers benefit from faster assembly lines, simplified supply chains, and fewer bottlenecks thanks to our value-added approach to the die-cutting process.

Get a Custom Die-Cutting Quote Today!

Solving Manufacturability Challenges Close to Home Domestic Die-Cutting Solutions for Complex Manufacturing Challenges

Why Partner with JBC for Custom Die-Cutting?

JBC Technologies is one of the largest ISO 9001-certified converters in the Midwest, with facilities spanning 4 states. Thanks to our diverse die-cutting toolkit, we can match your project with the right machine for efficient, cost-effective parts that still meet your strict quality requirements.

Our customers benefit from:

Lowered Total Cost of Purchase (TCP) – Leveraging Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VA/VE) principles to maximize material yield, throughput, and eliminate bottlenecks/unnecessary waste from each production run.
Domestic Supply Chain Simplification & Consolidation – Single-source converting from multiple vertically integrated manufacturing facilities located throughout the U.S.
Assembly Optimization & Faster Speed to Market – Part presentation features that streamline assembly and post-processing, including pull-tabs, kiss-cuts, extended liners, packaging, and kitting
ISO Certified Quality & Regulatory Compliance – ISO 13485 & ISO 9001 Certifications as well as ISO Class 8 Cleanrooms for manufacturing and assembling sensitive die-cut components
Diverse Scale & Capacity – Big parts, small parts, multi-layered parts, prototyping run, mass production, you name it – JBC has the capacity and machinery to handle it all in-house.
Tier 1 Material Supplier Access – Close relationships built on years of collaboration with leading tier 1 material suppliers - 3M™ Preferred, Avery Dennison ADVantage, and Rogers Major converter

Learn more about the JBC Advantage!

Close-up of a gray cylindrical component with black center, surrounded by silver metal framework and fasteners.

A rotary die cutting machine producing face masks.

A Fleet of Die-Cutting Services for Any Project From fit, form, and function testing to mass production

We’ve spent over three decades building an arsenal of specialized precision-cutting equipment that enables us to offer our customers a wide range of manufacturing options. Our 120,000 square feet of manufacturing space features everything from high-speed multi-station rotary machines and platen presses to CNC machines and dieless cutting equipment, including waterjet and laser cutting machines.

Learn more about our three main categories of die-cutting services:

Close-up of a complex machine with gray and brown components, a white fan visible in the background.

Rotary Die-Cutting

Best for high-volume continuous runs of complex or multi-layer parts, rotary die-cutting helps improve throughput, cost-per-unit, and post-processing through various in-line capabilities. The ability to slit, laminate, score, perforate, kiss-cut, and surface-treat materials in-line speeds up the manufacturing process, minimizes material waste, and lowers the overall total cost of purchase (TCP).

From complex value-added components to cleanroom die-cutting, learn more about our rotary die-cutting capabilities.

Platen (Flatbed) Die-Cutting

Ideal for large-format components up to "72 wide, flatbed die-cutting, as it's often referred to, is a converting process that helps maximize yield out of large, dense material rolls. Flatbed die-cutting balances precision, consistency, and speed, cutting through thick materials in a way that preserves the dimensional consistency of a part across large-scale production runs.

Explore the benefits of leveraging our flatbed die-cutting capabilities.

Digital Die-Cutting

Perfect for low-volume production runs, rapid prototypes, or quick fit, form, and function testing, digital (dieless) cutting is a quick and versatile cutting method with no upfront tooling costs. Utilizing laser, waterjet, flashcutting, and CNC machines, JBC’s digital cutting services help you get parts in hand quickly, so you can go-to-market quicker and scale with confidence.

Take a deeper dive into our digital cutting capabilities - rapid prototyping, no-tooling, quick turnaround, and more!

Precision Die-Cutting Equipment Guide

Matching the Right Die-Cutting Equipment to Your Manufacturing Goals – Explore the cutting methods and machinery that make up each die-cutting family.

Cutting Method	Machine Family	Max Usable Width:	Ideal For	Materials	Featuring
Servo-Driven Rotary Die-Cutting	Rotary	24"	High-volume continuous runs of intricate, small, multi-layered components with tight tolerances	Thin pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs), foils, films, foams, multi-layer laminates	Inline vision controls, servo controls, value added inline laminating, ultrasonic welding, slitting, island placement, complex registration, cold sealing
Traveling Head Press Die-Cutting	Flatbed	29"	Low to medium volumes of smaller parts with irregular nesting made form thick, soft materials	Thicker foams, sponge-rubber, cork, textiles, felt, other gasketing materials	Improved nesting and material optimization, programmable indexing
Manual Press Die-Cutting	Flatbed	62"	Lower volume runs, prototyping, and sampling of thin materials	Tapes, films, foil constructions, paper, nonwovens	Quick-change tooling for rapid iteration
Stationary Head w/Nip Roller Feed Press Die-Cutting	Flatbed	21.625"	Medium volume web-based components with repeatable part placement	Laminates, adhesive tapes, open and closed cell foams, foils, adhesive backed films	Roll unwinders, web guiding, and registration systems
Belt-Fed Beam Press Die-Cutting	Flatbed	77"	Medium - high volume of large parts made from thick materials	Thick foams, multi-layer thermal insulation materials, nonwovens, composites	Automated belt feed, stack cutting
Automatic Press Die-Cutting	Flatbed	36"	High-volume production runs of complex, thicker parts	Tapes, films, foams, rubbers, gasketing materials	Automated loading/unloading, part extraction
Clamshell Press Die-Cutting	Flatbed	48"	Highly accurate registration tight tolerance converting for precision parts	Tapes, thin foams, laminates, films	Optical registration, precision kiss-cutting, servo positing
Hydraulic Press Die-Cutting	Flatbed	41"	Large, difficult to cut parts made from very thick multi-layered materials	Thick foams, sponge rubbers, dense gasket materials, thick multilayer laminates, thin metal foils	High-tonnage control, programmable pressure profiles
Flash Cutting	Digital	63"	Rapid prototyping or low-volume runs for complex parts with no tooling costs	Foams, rubber, films, plastics	Multi-tool heads, camera registration, material nesting software, kiss-cut prototypes
Waterjet Cutting	Digital	72"	Rapid prototyping or low-volume runs for intricate, heat-sensitive components made from thick materials	Composites, plastics, films, fiber materials	CAD nesting, quick turn prototyping turn around, no tooling
Laser Cutting	Digital	32"	Rapid prototyping for complex, precision components made from thin materials	Films, foams, plastics, fabric, nonwovens	Automated material handling, quick turn prototyping, no tooling
CNC Router Cutting	Digital	48"	Low-volume runs of large-format components made from thick materials	Plastics, composites, fiberglass, rigid foams, sheet materials	Nesting software, automatic tool changers

Check out a more in-depth comparison of rotary and flatbed die-cutting here!

Rotary die-cutting vs. Flatbed die-cutting: What's Right for You?

Ask an Engineer: Precision Die-Cutting FAQs

JBC provides helpful material yield and design for manufacturability recommendations that improve the manufacturability and efficiency of each component. Through early-stage collaboration & production-intent prototyping, JBC can identify design features that are inefficient or impossible to manufacture at scale and provide helpful recommendations on how best to eliminate them. These include strategic part nesting, optimized part presentation, and design simplification.

We can cut thin, flexible materials, including:

Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes

Open- and closed-cell foams (Rogers PORON® & BISCO® series, Saint-Gobain Norseal®, etc.)

Films (Kapton®, polyimide, PTFE, etc.)

Acoustic insulation (3M™ Thinsulate™, melamine foams, etc.)

Thermal insulation (Nomex®, flexible graphite, ceramic blankets, etc.)

Electrical insulation (Kapton®, fish paper, vulcanized fiber, etc.)

Optical films (brightness mitigation films, HUD displays, etc.)

Light-gauge foils (copper foil, EMI/RFI Shielding, aluminum foil, etc.)

Fabrics (nonwovens, nickel-copper polyester fabric)

Multi-layer laminates (adhesive-backed foils, thermal insulation blankets, etc.)

Check out our performance materials page for a comprehensive overview of the materials we commonly cut and convert.

Maximum part size varies from machine to machine, as each die-cutting machine has a different usable cutting width. Here's a quick overview of max part width by each main cutting method:

Rotary Die-Cutting: 24"

Flatbed Die-Cutting: 77”

Digital Cutting: 72”

JBC can accommodate various part presentation and delivery options that make post-processing, user experience, and automation easier, including:

Roll delivery

Sheet delivery

Kiss-cut to liner

Pull-tabs

Extended or easy release liners

Split back liners

Fan-folding

Custom branded packaging (boxes, tins, sleeves, sachets, etc.)

Kitting

For expensive materials, JBC leverages a combination of material science knowledge and process engineering expertise to identify every possible way to reduce scrap and boost material yield. We factor in everything from optimized nesting strategies and kiss-cut depth to adhesive coverage and web width utilization to apply small yet effective strategies to cut down on scrap. These small changes include things like part rotation, spacing adjustments, or alternative liner construction.

Yes, JBC implements help part presentation strategies to facilitate easy integration into automated assemblies, like pull-tabs, extended liners, or custom kitting.

No, JBC provides custom die-cutting services using dies & machinery we source from suppliers. We don't manufacture or distribute die-cutting machinery.

Working with a vertically integrated die-cutter, like JBC Technologies, means consolidating multiple steps of the supply chain into a single source. Think of it like this: instead of sourcing material from supplier A, sending it to supplier B to be slit to a usable width, sending it to supplier C to die-cut, then sending to suppler D to package, a JBC integrated Technologies can do all of this in-house. This means less hands for the component to pass through, less shipping costs, less quality risks, quicker throughput, and greater consistency and control across each step of the supply chain.

Being a 3M™ Preferred Converter, means being part of a select-few converting partners that are trusted closely by 3M ™. As a 3M ™ Preferred Converter, JBC gains access to preferential pricing on materials, responsive direct communication with material science experts, and access to a wide breadth of material data and information.

Domestic Supply Chain Security Leverage speed, resiliency, and a close network of connections across the United States.

Leveraging JBC’s U.S. based precision die-cutting services is a strategic supply chain advantage. Here's why:

Built-in operational redundancy

Having multiple locations across the country means that one plant disruption doesn’t halt entire projects.

Insulation from Global Disruptions

Being wholly based in the U.S. means immunity to unpredictable global supply chains and the hidden costs that come with them. No tariffs, no unpredictable supply routes, and no crazy long lead times.

Multiple locations in the North American Industrial Hub

Our multiple facilities spread across the U.S., southeastern region, and the west coast, mean we’re never too far away from the most active manufacturing hubs and supply lines in the country.

Supplier Consolidation via in-house vertical integration

As a vertically integrated converter, JBC can source, slit, surface treat, laminate, and die-cut a material all in-house. The result? Fewer suppliers, quicker throughput, and lower costs.

Learn more about the built-in security that comes with a domestic converter!

JBC Technologies has strong partnerships with many leading raw material suppliers and has been recognized as an elite converter by many leading brands.

We also work with customer supplied material. If you have material that you need converted, please reach out to your sales representative or contact us for additional information.

Improve Throughput, Cost, and Go-to-Market Speed with ISO Certified Vertically Integrated Die-Cutting Services

Founded on the pillars of supply chain optimization, engineering innovation, and manufacturing excellence, JBC Technologies provides precision die-cutting services for the entire product lifecycle – from rapid prototypes to packaged and kitted finished parts.

Our die-cutting processes are engineered for maximum material yield, value for money, and efficiency, helping you hit demanding timelines while staying under budget.

Do you have a custom die-cutting project you’d like to discuss with us?

Submit Your Die-Cutting Project Today!